Story of the World, Vol. 1, Chapter 18

Life in Early Crete finally brings us closer and closer to Greece and Rome – my favorite part of Ancient History. We lead Theseus through the maze to fight the Minotaur and then we build a LEGO maze.

LEGO Maze and Minotaur, the first version

We forgot all about Ariadne’s yarn. Oh well. The kids got really fancy and built an even bigger maze. Then they replaced the rhino with a leopard and brought in a small toy person to represent Theseus. They came up with all sorts of stories. By now, I was not there anymore. This story got them playing and I went on with my day.

LEGO Maze, Theseus, and Minotaur

A few months ago, we made an erupting volcano; here’s the YouTube video. When we read about Thera, I reminded the kids of the experiment. Of course they wanted to make another one. I said, “Maybe another time.” I remembered how they kept pouring vinegar and baking soda onto the poor “mountain” and how they did not know when to stop.

LEGO Maze, Revised

We ordered some of the recommended books from the library. Atlantis fascinates my son very much, especially after watching a 28-minute LEGO movie about it, LEGO Atlantis. They found it on YouTube one day and have gone back to see it a few times since.

The Minoan Ship seemed too involved for a craft. Sculpture has never been my gift, so I stayed away from it.

With the coloring page of bull jumpers, we had this long conversation about boys and girls. The three figures look like men, but they have long hair. My daughter was confused. I pointed out their chests were bare and – um – they looked like men in that area. She still wanted to pretend that at least one of them is a girl. We gave her permission to pretend that way.